Best sustainability report 2019

With the publication of its 2018 sustainable development report, global leader in packaging and paper Mondi has pushed the boundaries of what best practice in sustainability reporting looks like. For a start, it practises what it preaches and is solely online.

This has several benefits, apart from the obvious one of cutting down on paper waste, but it also allows for an interactive format that is significantly more dynamic and effective than a PDF format. This approach provides Mondi’s team with analytics that help them better understand how the report is consumed, which will shape any future approaches.

The report provides a comprehensive review of Mondi’s approach to sustainability, which is viewed as core to its success, and its performance across ten Growing Responsibly Action Areas. This link between sustainability and performance is demonstrated throughout the reporting suite, including in Mondi’s integrated annual report.

Each of the ten action areas - which range from employee and contractor safety and health to climate change - start with two questions: Why is this important to our stakeholders? And why is this important to Mondi? These are followed by ‘Our commitments to 2020’, ‘Discover how we are...’ and ‘Next steps’. Detailed information appears simply by touching an icon in each section. In this way, each action area is clearly linked to changing stakeholder needs and the impact of the action area on the business, including financial aspects.

But the report also tackles some of the sustainability-related issues that have gone mainstream, such as plastics and climate change, and its role in tackling these. A four-page feature on plastic waste unpicks the challenge and provides insights into potential solutions.

Touching the Waking up to the price of plastic icon, brings up facts such as the world produces more than 400 million tonnes of plastic every year, of which 36 per cent is used in packaging. It highlights how Mondi has become a signatory of The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, and is working with key partners towards eliminating plastic waste, including creating 100 per cent recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2025.

There is also a detailed analysis of the opportunities posed by climate change, such as reduced operational costs through energy and resource efficiencies, as well as the risks, such as water scarcity and regulatory change.

The judges felt this report went beyond the traditional remit, and sought to explain the impact of sustainability initiatives on the business. They liked the clarity and narrative of the report, and thought the interactive elements worked well to explain complex issue.